Lili Reinhart Just Shut Down The Haters After Opening Up About Her Mental Health
15 May 2017, 12:47 | Updated: 19 November 2018, 15:58
"Don't like what I have to say? I don't f*cking care."
Lili Reinhart aka Betty Cooper, Queen of Memes and Riverdale's resident Daddy, if you will, has fast become one of our favourite people on the planet. Her social media game is outstanding, she can act, she can sing and she's brutally honest about her own experiences mental health.
Lili has spoken out about her personal struggle with mental health before. She has also previously spoken about her connection to Betty, who is also going through some psychological issues of her own and how important it is that that will be explored in the second season of the show. Basically, Lili isn't afraid of creating a wider conversation around mental health, which is why she decided to open up about it on her twitter a few days ago.
Riverdale came into my life when I was going through the worst depression I had ever experienced. And in the end it completely saved me.
— Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) May 13, 2017
Since it's mental health awareness month, I figured it would be good to share that. I worked my ass off to make a living out of what I love
— Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) May 13, 2017
And when I'm feeling depressed or sad, I remind myself how far I've come. And how I didn't let my depression consume me...
— Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) May 13, 2017
To anyone out there who feels depressed or hopeless... do not fucking give up on yourself. You're all you've got. And you deserve the world
— Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) May 13, 2017
Your mental health should be your priority. Don't forget that. This is your life.. and you've only got one. So don't waste it by being sad
— Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) May 13, 2017
You will get through whatever you're going through now. And you'll be so much stronger at the end of it. You're stronger than you know.
— Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) May 13, 2017
I guess that ends my little rant. But I felt the need to put some love out into the world today. I encourage you to do the same
— Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) May 13, 2017
It didn't take long for people to take issue with Lili's "rant" and call her out for suggesting that people with depression don't waste their lives by "feeling sad".
@lilireinhart so people with clinical depression.... should just..... stop.... feeling .. sad
— ㅤ (@wolveIa) May 13, 2017
@lilireinhart Do you know how hard it is to pretend to be happy in all of the fcking ppl who downgraded me?how can i not be sad? tell me...HOW?!?!
— nigel (@onelasthoe) May 13, 2017
@lilireinhart So dOnT waStE iT bY BeInG sAd pic.twitter.com/gePxR9JnfR
— cait (@lancesawyerr) May 13, 2017
@lilireinhart i wasted all these years on depression and anxiety when the cure was simply to stop being sad, thank you savior
— ㅤㅤhappy!alicia (@zeldasIink) May 13, 2017
While some people DID understand what she meant by her tweets, she hit back at her critics by clarifying a few things.
Apparently everything I say is going to be taken the wrong way from this point on in my life. Which is disheartening that people want
— Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) May 14, 2017
To make me a villain. So no... I in no way meant that depressed people should just "stop being sad."
— Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) May 14, 2017
She went onto explain how she had "dealt with depression [her] whole fucking life". She tweeted: "I'm saying find yourself some help. And don't wait for things to change. You have to go out and get that for yourself. You have to find your own happiness and be willing to get better and that's what I did when I moved to LA for the second time, trying to follow my dream. I was proactive about changing my life."
Don't like what I have to say? I don't fucking care. I'm going to talk about mental health and my own experience with depression whether
— Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) May 14, 2017
I have your permission or not.
— Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) May 14, 2017
Yes. It is, of course, different for every person. While Lili said she had been extremely proactive in seeking help for her depression, it's not as simple or easy for others to seek the same and it's easy to see why people found an issue with Lili's tweet.
Yes, maybe the wrong words were used or taken out of context - it's difficult to get your point across in 140 characters without it being misconstrued - but people should think twice about attacking someone who is so openly talking about their mental health.
We're trying to remove the stigma surrounding the conversation - particularly when it comes to therapy, medication and actively seeking professional help - not making it twice as hard for those who need that kind of representation in the media or in real life.
Do you think Lili made a mistake and is receiving fair criticism or have it all be taken out of context?
via giphy.com
____ ____ ____ ____ ____
Listen to the #PopBuzzPodcast with Hey Violet right here or subscribe for free on iTunes to get new episodes sent straight to your phone every Friday.
